The advantage of catching Daniel Craig between photo shoots and TV interviews at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills is that he looks oh so James Bond-like, although unshaven and slimmer. Decked out in the simple, elegantly tailored suit you'd expect - with a black sling around his right arm after surgery to fix a labral tear - he discussed the franchise's new direction, whether Jason Bourne could beat up Batman and whether Bonds really have more fun.

Q:At what moment did you finally feel like James Bond?

A: I don't know that there's ever going to come a day when I feel like Bond, because ... there's too much movie history, there's too much that's gone on that makes it kind of indefinable. Putting on a tuxedo and driving an Aston Martin is always going to help. We did the gun barrel (opening sequence) this time, and that was nerve-racking. Let's face it: That's the moment in the Bond movie when you go, "Oh, of course, it's James Bond."

Q:"Quantum of Solace" is harder-edged than other Bond movies, even harder than "Casino Royale." It's really a drama that has a lot of action in it.

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A: And a thriller, I hope. The political thrillers of the '70s, (director Marc Forster) and I are huge fans of those. But we started something with "Casino Royale." There was a love story that was a big event. To just sort of brush over it, to make it just a little reference in the next movie, "Oh, there was this girl once ..." - it just seemed wrong. Let's do a sequel. Let's tie up all the loose ends, let's find out who the bad guys are, let's solidify the relationship with M and Felix.

Q: You met with actual spies to research the part. What did they teach you?

A: On "Munich" we met with people, with Mossad agents, special-forces people. On this I met with special-forces people who've been very kind and very patient with me, some of whom have been teaching me how to shoot, some of whom have just been giving me advice. I've met a few guys who I know are the real deal. I wanted to see how they walk into a room, how they hold themselves. Because, believe me, it's not who I am. And the idea in "Casino Royale" is a guy who's just come straight out of the army, straight out of special services. He'd been on active duty and given this assignment. So I wanted to get a flavor of that. These guys are ... I don't know ... the things they've seen.

Q:Doesn't it freak you out that these people are trained killers?

A: I don't think about it. I have a good, long conversation with them over a couple of beers. The reality is that people like that exist in the world. And to deny that would be crazy. This isn't a case study in psychopathic killers; I just want to have a touch of reality in this movie so I'm not so far off that I'm doing them an injustice. It is a little freaky.

A: (laughs) I can't get involved with this. You know I can't. Someone asked me before, who would win a fight, Bond or Batman or Bourne? And I said, "Bond would get the other two to punch the s- out of each other while betting on both of them and having a martini."

Quotable: On returning to a Bond set: "When you've jumped off 30-foot towers three or four times, you're like, 'Oh, right! We're here! Now I remember!' And driving Aston Martins down a test track, it really gets everything coming back."